Page 10 of Feathered Thief

When practice ended, the trainees dispersed, and the girls hurried inside to dress for supper. Helena donned a green gown over a white chemise, pleased that this year she could show off her first wimple and veil. With no one to help her dress, she left her heavy braid down and hopefully hidden by the trailing veil.

Helena and her father were among the first guests to enter the Great Hall, which quickly filled with guests. Anticipation had her heart beating double-time when Czwarty, Twardo, and several other young lords and ladies she didn’t know by name entered the Great Hall, but Kazik wasn’t among them.

To Helena’s surprise, her father leaned close to say, “You look lovely tonight, my dear child. So much like your mother.”

Warmth and happiness flooded through her, and tears prickled her eyes as she smiled up at him.

“I can imagine you would prefer to join your friends. Feel free to leave this old man to his own devices,” he added with a fond wink. “I still have a few old friends to visit.”

As it turned out, her father was first to move on to chat with his acquaintances, and Helena felt a bit adrift in the crowded room. Eager guests and the usual courtiers surrounded the Grand Duke Warin Lisiewicz and his wife, the Grand Duchess Euzebia, but where was Kazik?

In his absence, she observed his parents. The Grand Duke was broad-shouldered and freckled like Kazik, but he was tall, and his red hair was lighter than Kazik’s. Madame Euzebia’s glossy chestnut braids were visible beneath her wimple. Helena wouldn’t have described her as pretty, exactly, but she was eye-catching. She practically exuded confidence . . . and kindness. Also, power. Maybe because she was so tall for a woman—nearly as tall as her husband.

Helena briefly closed her eyes and prayed that Kazik would grow tall like his parents. Then she bit her lips, hoping her prayer hadn’t offended the Almighty.

Suddenly insecure, she slipped one hand into her kirtle’s hidden pocket to rub the little toy horse. Would Kazik even notice her with so many other girls around? Her old friends all had new gowns too, and most of them looked like young ladies while she still had the curves of a fence post.

Where was Kazik?

From across the room, Euzebia watched her son descend the grand staircase, his gaze scanning the guests, his expression eager. She knew he was searching for Helena, who stood alone, looking self-conscious. The girl had no idea how lovely she was. Sweet, innocent, shy, yet spunky like Kazimierz. They were still children, really, yet Kazik longed to marry Helena. Since the day he first saw her, he’d noticed no other girl.

Would she make a good wife for him? Both children were sheltered. Their virtue had not yet been tested. Bright-shining human morality often lacked a solid foundation. Kazik could fall into dishonor as easily as Helena could.

Euzebia’s lips flattened as her eyes narrowed. One thing she knew for certain: she would die before she allowed Warin to marry off Kazik to one of his many girl cousins. That family was as loveless and dysfunctional as they came, and she knew Kazik cringed whenever his father mentioned taking him north. Euzebia had long ago resolved never to use her magic against her husband . . . except perhaps in a life-and-death situation. However, she would wield all persuasive wiles at her disposal to protect her son’s future, and her long-held resolve to avoid political involvement felt increasingly unsound.

She might need to switch from “resolve” to something less rigid, such as “hope.”

The very idea of getting involved in political or magical intrigues gave her a sinking feeling. She was no leader. She always let Warin do the talking in public situations. Smiling graciously was her go-to social skill. Any involvement on her part would inevitably lead to conflict with her father-in-law the archduke . . . and although she loved her husband, she knew he condoned his father’s increasingly unethical, illegal, and downright corrupt uses of magic.

Its ramifications had already begun to spread throughout the land of Wroclaw. But Euzebia knew she lacked the vision and experience to lead a rebellion. If only the World Magic Council hadn’t disbanded . . .

What if she were to contact the former council mages yet living and prod them into action?

When Kazik finally descended the grand staircase, Helena realized he still looked like a freckled pink-cheeked boy. He was cordial and polite to everyone he encountered, even as his gaze eagerly scanned the room. He seemed to be working his way through the crowd toward his parents.

He hadn’t noticed her. What if he was looking for someone else? Suddenly, her chest and throat felt tight. By the time nearby guests greeted the prince, she couldn’t think of a word to say.

But then Kazik caught her gaze, and his face lit up. He walked straight up to her, pressed one hand over his heart, and exclaimed, “O jejku!You are beautiful, Helena!”

Suddenly, she was floating on air. “Thank you.”

The girls who’d overheard his outburst giggled. Czwarty, Twardo, and a few young men Helena didn’t know teased Kazik about his hopeless passion for a giantess princess, and about his multitudinous freckles, but he paid them no heed, so she ignored them too.

“If I could, I would take you in for dinner,” he said outright. “We can’t have a real conversation in this crowd.”

He was right. The hall was so noisy that she nearly had to read his lips to understand. And amid all the resounding voicesand laughter, several people butted between them like sheep, she thought. But Kazik kept trying to catch her eye, and she couldn’t help returning his smiles.

As soon as the Chelm Castle family—Kornelia, Malgosia, and the baron and baroness—arrived in the hall, everyone sat down for dinner. Kazik sat with his parents at the center of the head table, while Helena and her father sat at one end, from which Helena could glimpse Kazik’s profile if she cared to look that way . . . which she frequently did.

Noise echoed through the hall—and before the meal ended, minstrels and acrobats filled the center of the room, along with a few barking dogs. The general hubbub obliterated conversation. Helena didn’t recognize half the people present anyway. She guessed they might be minor nobles from across Wroclaw whose sons were in military training for the summer.

Unable to stop herself, she kept glancing along the table toward Kazik, and once she caught his eye. His face lit up, and he gave her an encouraging nod before someone closer claimed his attention. On a whim, she slipped her hand into her pocket and touched her toy horse.

Instantly, she felt connected to Kazik, and as soon as he was able, he met her gaze again and gave her a wink. The next time someone at his table claimed Kazik’s attention, she noticed his mother watching her. She could feel herself blush, but Madame Euzebia’s eyes were kind like Kazik’s, and she gave Helena a little nod that made her catch her breath.

If his mother approved of Kazik’s friendship with her, maybe there was hope . . .

“Helena,” her father said, gently tapping her arm. “After two days of travel, I must retire early to be ready for a crowded agenda tomorrow.”

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